writing sample - musician extended bio
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Stacy Lukasavitz - Writing Sample -- Artist Extended Bio
Stacy Lukasavitz Writing Sample -- Artist Extended Bio
Stacy Lukasavitz
[email protected]://about.me/stacy.lukasavitz@damnredhead
Carolyn Striho Extended BioIt’s rare that anyone comes across a creative force like Carolyn Striho and realizes what they just experienced. Yet, the mention of her name to anyone in the Detroit music community evokes a storied musical tapestry that few could weave so well over the years, with colors and sounds so vivid that no one genre is worthy of containing.
To see her perform on stage is an experience all in itself. She’s far from your typical “girl with a piano” … one minute she’s got you mesmerized with the pulsating beats of her song “Ocean,” the next she’s got her right leg up on her keyboard, her black leather boot on the keys as she takes the audience to a completely different place. Carolyn’s vibrant, hypnotic mélange practically turns every room she plays into a rock-and-roll tribal sweat. Before you know it, she’s belting out a new song, heavy acoustic guitar in hand, you’re stomping your feet and — look now — she’s suddenly on her back on the stage, playing her guitar as though possessed by the spirit of the music.
So just who exactly is Carolyn Striho?
To Detroit audiophiles who have been around a while, she’s best known for her work with punk priestess Patti Smith and for fronting the late ‘80s/‘90s super group Detroit Energy Asylum. DEA had a lineup containing some of the best musicians in the business, including saxophonist David McMurray (Kid Rock), Luis Resto (Eminem), Vinnie Dombrowski (Sponge, Crud), and many others.
However, few of the most erudite Detroit music historians are aware of the breadth of Carolyn’s résumé, for she is perhaps one of her hometown’s most worldly artistic gems, hidden in plain sight.
Once a 16 year-old playing in punk bands in the seediest venues of Detroit’s musical underbelly, this classically-trained pianist and self-taught guitarist has since played Lollapalooza, Italy, the UK, and even Japan. Being both a close friend and musical colleague of Patti Smith, Carolyn has the distinction of being one of the few invited to perform at the prestigious Meltdown UK Festival (2005), curated by Smith. There, Carolyn opened for Steve Earle and shared the stage with the likes of Tori Amos, Sinead O’Connor, Marianne Faithful, Yoko Ono and others of such celebrated musical calibre.
Stacy Lukasavitz - Writing Sample -- Artist Extended Bio
Yet with all of the musicians Carolyn has collaborated with in the past, even when fronting bands whose music she composed, and even when close to signing record deals — something, somehow, always seemed to elude her from properly claiming the spotlight … until recently.
Perhaps it was keeping a sort of level head in pursuing her education while her bandmates chased their rockstar dreams … some of which have succeeded, others, tragically fallen … but three college degrees later, a helluva lot of perseverance, and that unique blend of Detroit heart, soul and elbow grease have earned Carolyn recent accolades of 30+ Detroit Music Award nominations since 2006, an honorable mention in the Billboard Magazine’s Songs of the Year (2009) for the cabaret-style crowd favorite, “Enchante,” and even the 2010 Detroit Music Award for “Outstanding Rock/Pop Album of the Year” for “Honesty.” She has been featured on National Public Radio, garnered regular
airplay on radio stations on the East Coast and Denmark, and continues to be invited to some of the most prestigious festivals throughout the Midwest and overseas. Now Carolyn’s with guitarist Scott Dailey and band, continuing to attract even more attention with another European tour this Fall.
Today, it’s an understatement that this once teenaged punk playing in the clubs of Detroit has come quite a long way. With a new video in production, album in the works, and upcoming tours, Carolyn is living for now. Full-steam ahead and not looking back, Carolyn Striho continues to bulldoze her own amazing path. Her history is remarkable, yes, but it’s undeniable that her time is here.
Photos 1 by Lynn Maslowski, photo 2 by Jaclyn Schanes.
www.carolynstriho.com
Stacy Lukasavitz - Writing Sample -- Artist Extended Bio